Terminal board connectors



Oct. 27, 1964 5, JAMES ETAL 3,154,366

TERMINAL BOARD CONNECTORS Filed Sept. 21, 1960 M n 28 FIG 6 25% NORMAN o JINVEESNTORS' Iii:

BY EwNLSNiEREI R at F, ,WM ao a 7 3,6 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,154,366 TERMINAL BOARD CONNECTGRS Norman D. James, Darien, John E. Kreiner, Wilton, and

Ray Long, Riverside, Conn., assignors to Edwards Company Inc., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Sept. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 57,543 3 Claims. (Cl. 339198) Prefabricated units are widely used today in connection with the installation of electrical systems such as fire alarm systems, programming devices, aununciators and the like. In the factory fixed conductors are wired to one side of a panel member and when the unit is installed in the field appropriate conductors are wired to the second side of the panel member-to integrate the prefabricated unit into the system. The panel member provides the connecting link for a multitude of conductors and quick, simple assembly in limited space is a very important consideration.

The present invention relates to a panel member connector which is especially adapted for use in providing the connecting link between conductors on opposite sides of the panel member in such prefabricated units. The connector is readily anchored in fixed position in the panel member in such manner that a portion of the connector is accessible on both sides of the panel to establish electrical connection with separate conductors and the connector includes an electric insulating barrier which so effectively isolates the individual conductors that a multitude of conductors may be connected to the panel member in a very limited space. These and other advantages and the details of the structure of the present invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of one form of the panel member connector of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows one form of soldering lug for the fixed conductors in the prefabricated unit.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a modified form of electric insulating barrier for the panel member connector of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is taken on line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates a modified form of the structure of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 shows a modified form of connector.

Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, panel member 10 made of conventional electric insulating material is mounted in the unit (not shown) which is to be prefabricated in the factory in known manner. For convenience of description only a section of the panel member is shown in the drawings. The panel member 10 is provided with an opening 12 and a connector 14 preferably in the form of a preformed sleeve of metal such as copper is inserted through the opening 16 in the base of an electric insulating barrier 18 and through a suitable opening in the panel member. In order to attach the connector and the insulating barrier 18 to panel member 16 the metal at the rim at one end of sleeve connector 14 is turned over to form an attachment flange 22 which when the connector is assembled in barrier 18 bears against the surface of the base of the barrier. The rim of the metal at the second end of the connector is thereafter turned over to form a second attachment flange 24 which in the preferred form of structure shown bears against a soldering lug 26 to securely anchor the assembly in place. Sleeve 14 and soldering lug 26 are made of metal that will conduct electricity and a fixed conductor 28 of the prefabricated unit may be conveniently soldered to the lug.

A preferred form of soldering lug 26 is illustrated in FIG. 3. As there shown the lug is provided with a ring 3,1545% Patented Get. 27, 1964 30 which is adapted to fit on the exterior of sleeve 14. In the form of structure shown a thread is tapped in the interior wall of connector 14 and a screw 32 screwed therein forms a terminal post for attaching conductors to the prefabricated unit in the field. If desired however, a screw which is adapted to thread itself into the smooth walled interior of the sleeve may of course be used to form the terminal post.

It is of great advantage to connect a multitude of field conductors in as little space as possible and for this purpose the electric insulating barrier 18 includes a flange 34 which projects up above the level of the top surface of the base to provide an insulating barrier surrounding connector 14 and the terminal post 32. The upright flange 34 surrounds connector 14 and it is spaced away from the connector to provide room for the terminal post. Flange 34 is provided with a pair of grooves 36 and 38 which are cut through flange 34 so that a field conductor 39 may be inserted through the groove and attached to connector 14 by means of the terminal post 32. The grooves 36 and 38 are positioned and oriented so that the side walls of the grooves function as guides to direct wires inserted, through the grooves, into the interior of the barrier to enter the barrier in a clockwise direction with respect to the shaft of the screw and are made deep enough so that the field conductors when connected to the terminal post 32 will be held in the groove below the level of the top surface of flange 34. The insulating barrier provided by the upright flange 34 is so effective for isolating each of the individual field conductors that it is possible to mount a multitude of conductors on the panel member in close proximity to one another as illustrated in FIG. 1. As there shown the sides of adjacent insulating barriers 18 are in contact with one another and since the conductors for each terminal post are positioned within the respective grooves below the level of the top surface of the insulating flange there is no danger of short circuiting between field conductors.

In many applications it is desirable to mount connectors 14 in a plurality of parallel lines as illustrated in FIG. 4. In such case the form of structure shown in FIG. 5 is employed. The form of structure shown in FIG. 5 is identical with the one shown in FIG. 2 with the single exception that the base of the insulating barrier is extended out beyond the upright flange 34 to provide a shoulder 42 positioned along opposite sides of the base of each block. The width of each shoulder is made approximately equal to one-half the width of the groove 36 or 38. As best shown in FIG. 4 grooves 36 and 38 are equal in width and the grooves lead in toward connector 14 from opposite side edges of the insulating barrier. The center line of each groove is positioned approximately parallel to the length of the outside edge of the shoulder and the distance between the center line of each groove and the outside edge of the adjacent shoulder is approximately equal. Thus the distance A is approximately equal to the distance B in each insulating barrier and the barriers are uniformly made so that each of the barriers have approximately the same dimensions. With insulating barriers made in this way when the shoulders 4-2 of two adjacent blocks are brought together as shown in FIG. 4 a channel is provided which enables a field conductor 44 to be led through the insulating blocks in any one line for connection to a conductor 14 positioned in the next adjacent line and at the same time a second separate field conductor 45 leading in from a different direction may be connected to the same connector. In such case it is only necessary to align the grooves of one line of conductors with the groove 46 formed by the adjacent shoulders 42 in the second line of conductors. In the preferred form of structure shown in the electric insulating barrier is made of a molded block of nylon but of course other known electric insulating materials may be employed.

If desired the panel member connector 14 may be used in connection with metal panels instead of the electric insulating panel shown in FIG. 1. In such case the connector is assembled in the panel as previously described in connection with the structure of FIG. 1, and if desired the connector may be insulated from the metal panel as illustrated in FIG. 6. As there shown an electricinsulating bushing 48 is employed to insulate the metal connector '14 so that no current will flow through the metal panel 50. Wi th the exception of the metal panel 50 and the insulating bushing 48, the structure disclosed in FIG. 6 is identical with that shown in FIG. 1.

In the form of structure shown in FIG. 1 the connector 14 is in the form of a hollow metal sleeve or rivet 14 which anchors the assembly in the panel member. It is not necessary that the connector 14 be in the form of a hollow rivet. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the connector 52 comprises a solid rod of metal adapted to make a tight frictional fit with the opening in the panel member and with the opening 16 in the insulating barrier 18. In ord r to iinprove the grip of. connector 52 the exterior surface thereof is knurled so that the knurled surface will dig into the material of panel 10 and into the material of the insulating barrier 18 to securely hold the assembly together. One end portion of rod 52 contains a cylindrical socket 53 which may be provided with internal threads to receive the terminal post screw 32 or the interior of the socket may be left smooth in which case the metal should be soft enough so, that the terminal post screw 32 will thread itself into the metal.

In the structure illustrated in FIG. 7 the connector 52 is provided with a modified form of connecting means for the fixed conductors in the interior of the prefabricated unit. The modified form of connecting means shown in FIG. 7 comprises an annular flange member 54 positioned to contact the surface of the panel member 10. A second annular flange 56 is positioned on connector 52 in spaced relationship to flange 54 in order to provide a groove 58 adapted to receive a conductor 60. After the conductor is inserted in the groove flange member 56 is bent over the connector with a hammer to provide a mechanical and electrical connection and if desired the connector may thereafter be soldered into the groove. This type of connector means for the fixed conductors in the interior of the chassis of the prefabricated unit is described in detail in patent application Serial No. 680,560, filed by Irving Mande et al. on August 27, 1957, now Patent No. 2,962,691, dated November 29, 1960. It will be understood that .the connectors of the present invention need not have any special connector means for the fixed conductors of the prefabricated unit. In such case the fixed conductors are soldered directly to the body of the connector that is exposed in the face of the panel member. The connector need not be round as other shapes such as hexagonal may be employed. An advantage of the hexagonal shape is that there is no tendency for the connector to rotate relative to the barrier.

It will also be understood that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the preferred embodiment of the invention herein chosenfor illustration which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

4- What is claimed is:

1. In combination an electric insulating panel member having a plurality of spaced electrical connectors positioned thereon, each of said connectors having opposite end portions positioned at opposite sides of the said panel member to establish an electrical connection to separate conductors on opposite sides of the panel member, and an electric insulating barrier mounted in fixed position on one end portion of each of said connectors at the surface on one side of said panel member, said barrier having an upright flange thereon which. surrounds the connector to provide electric insulation separating said connector from each aforesaid connector .with at least one groove in said upright flange which provides access for a separate conductor through the flange for connection to said one end portion, and said barrier having a shoulder positioned along opposite sides thereof at the lower end portion of the barrier adjacent the flange member, in which said plurality of connectors are mounted in the panel member and'arranged in two spaced adjacent lines and in which the shoulders of adjacentbarriers in any one line are positioned adjacent each other to form a groove between such barriers for a separate conductor to pass through the line.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1 in which a groove in the flange of the barriers in any one line is aligned with the groove between adjacent barriers in the second line.

3. A terminal board comprising a panel member having a row of holes for making electrical connections therethrough, a separate electrical terminal means extending through each of said holes, each said electricalterminal means having an enlarged portion on one side of said panel member and a retaining means on the other side of said panel member, a separate insulating block positioned around each of said terminal means on the retaining means side of the panel member and held to the panel member at only one point and to the terminal means by said enlarged portion and said retaining means, said insulating block each having at least one flat side which is positioned against a flat sideof oneadjacent insulating block so as to make all said terminal means and insulating blocks substantially torsionally rigid to prevent each of the terminal means and insulating block from pivoting around said only one point by whichthey are held to the panel member, and each said insulating'block having a flange extending away from said panel member to form an insulating wall around each said terminal means, said flange having a groove therein on one side of said row ofholes which acts as a guide to wires inserted therein to position the wire .against the terminal-means within each said insulating block, and a separate screw threaded to each terminal means inside the insulating Wall surrounding each terminal means to attach wires positioned against any of the terminal means to that terminal means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Dow May 22, 1906 

3. A TERMINAL BOARD COMPRISING A PANEL MEMBER HAVING A ROW OF HOLES FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS THERETHROUGH, A SEPARATE ELECTRICAL TERMINAL MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH EACH OF SAID HOLES, EACH SAID ELECTRICAL TERMINAL MEANS HAVING AN ENLARGED PORTION ON ONE SIDE OF SAID PANEL MEMBER AND A RETAINING MEANS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID PANEL MEMBER, A SEPARATE INSULATING BLOCK POSITIONED AROUND EACH OF SAID TERMINAL MEANS ON THE RETAINING MEANS SIDE OF THE PANEL MEMBER AND HELD TO THE PANEL MEMBER AT ONLY ONE POINT AND TO THE TERMINAL MEANS BY SAID ENLARGED PORTION AND SAID RETAINING MEANS, SAID INSULATING BLOCK EACH HAVING AT LEAST ONE FLAT SIDE WHICH IS POSITIONED AGAINST A FLAT SIDE OF ONE ADJACENT INSULATING BLOCK SO AS TO MAKE ALL SAID TERMINAL MEANS AND INSULATING BLOCKS SUBSTANTIALLY TORSIONALLY RIGID TO PREVENT EACH OF THE TERMINAL MEANS AND INSULATING BLOCK FROM PIVOTING AROUND SAID ONLY ONE POINT BY WHICH THEY ARE HELD TO THE PANEL MEMBER, AND EACH SAID INSULATING BLOCK HAVING A FLANGE EXTENDING AWAY FROM SAID PANEL MEMBER TO FORM AN INSULATING WALL AROUND EACH SAID TERMINAL MEANS, SAID FLANGE HAVING A GROOVE THEREIN ON ONE SIDE OF SAID ROW OF HOLES WHICH ACTS AS A GUIDE TO WIRES INSERTED THEREIN TO POSITION THE WIRE AGAINST THE TERMINAL MEANS WITHIN EACH SAID INSULATING BLOCK, AND A SEPARATE SCREW THREADED TO EACH TERMINAL MEANS INSIDE THE INSULATING WALL SURROUNDING EACH TERMINAL MEANS TO ATTACH WIRES POSITIONED AGAINST ANY OF THE TERMINAL MEANS TO THAT TERMINAL MEANS. 